Failed court action against Mayor’s rent policy costs boroughs £55k

City Hall has accepted an offer of £55,000 towards its legal costs from nine London boroughs who lost a High Court challenge against Boris Johnson’s affordable rent policy.

Last year the Mayor altered his planning and development framework to allow rents of up to 80% of the market rate to be classed as “affordable” and removed the freedom of local councils to set their own rent levels.

The changes were opposed by Islington, Camden, Brent, Enfield, Greenwich, Lambeth, Southwark, Hackney and Tower Hamlets councils who argued they would make many areas unaffordable to those on low and modest incomes.